website/content/museum/cromemco-system-i-ii-iii.md

title, categories, types, origins, years, cpus, params

title	categories	types	origins	years	cpus	params
Cromemco System I / II / III	Computers	Professional Computer	U.S.A.	1976	Z80	name image company company_name specs tabs forum_thread photos adverts oc_id source System I / II / III /media/museum/photos/cromenco.jpg /companies/cromemco Cromemco label value NAME System I / II / III label value MANUFACTURER Cromemco label value TYPE Professional Computer label value ORIGIN U.S.A. label value YEAR 1976 label value CPU Z80 label value RAM 32 KB (up to 512 KB with a pagination mechanism) label value ROM Unknown label value TEXT MODES Unknown label value GRAPHIC MODES 754 x 482 monochrome / 377 x 241 16 colors. A special video card was available with 3 video processors which allows the same resolutions but respectively with 8 and 4096 colors. label value I/O PORTS 8 bit ADC or DAC, Centronics, Disk controller, S100 Bus, 21-card-slot label value BUILT IN MEDIA Varies according the model label value OS CP/M photos adverts 127 title subtitle text image THE SYSTEM ONE CS-1H This system was based on the DPU Dual Processor Unit (68000 and Z80-A microprocessors board) that made the system *the equal of superminis ans mainframes in some area* (said the advert). The system was able tu run simultaneously CP/M (8 bits) and Cromix (16 bits) operating systems. Switching between the Z-80 and 68000 was automatically controled. Up to 2 MB of RAM could be installed in the case. Price: **$5495** with 256 KB of RAM and 780 KB of floppy storage. /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme1_cs1h_1.jpg title subtitle text image SYSTEM ONE, MAIN UNIT /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme1_mainunit_1.jpg title subtitle text image THE CROMEMCO SYSTEM III The box in the middle is the Central Processing Unit & A four 5.25" FDD (512 KB each). It has 32 KB RAM, the advertisement said "Its fast RAM memory is large - No danger of obsolescence from inadequate RAM capacity" !! /media/museum/photos/cromemco1.jpg title subtitle text image SYSTEM III OPENED /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme3_opened.jpg title subtitle text image SYSTEM III WITH TERMINAL Cromemco SYSTEM THREE with a CROMEMCO C-3102 CONSOLE and keyboard /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme3_withterminal.jpg title subtitle text image SYSTEM III REAR SIDE /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme3_rearside.jpg title subtitle text image THE CROMEMCO PANEL PROM PROGRAMMER The two PROM sockets are designed to copy PROMs. /media/museum/photos/cro_eprom.jpg title subtitle text image CARDS DIAGRAM This diagram shows the range of S-100 cards Cromemco solded in 1982. **- 1 - CPU boards**\ - Dual processor (68000 + Z80)\ - Single card computer\ - Z80-A 4 Mhz. **- 2 - Memory boards**\ - 4 KB RAM\ - 16 KB RAM\ - 64 KB RAM\ - 16 KB PROM\ - 8 KB ByteSaver\ - 32 KB ByteSaver\ - 48 KB two-port\ - 16 KB two-port\ - Memory control unit **- 3 - Multiprocessing and network cards**\ - I/O processor\ - Quad Sync/Async ports\ - Serial / Parallel I/O\ - Networking interface\ - I/O off-line processor **- 4 - S-100 BUS** **- 5 - I/O interfaces**\ - Floppy disk interface\ - Analog interface\ - Hard Disk interface\ - Hi Resolution / Analog\ - Printer interface\ - 8-port parallel interface\ - General purpose interface\ - 4-port isolated interface\ - Dual Serial and Parallel ports\ - Wire Wrap card **- 6 - Color Graphics card**\ - High Resolution color graphics card /media/museum/photos/cromemco_systeme1_diagram_1.jpg title subtitle text image US ADVERT (1982) null title subtitle text image UK ADVERT UK advert from Personal Computer World magazine, October 1983 /media/museum/pubs/cromemco_systeme1_pub_s1.jpg title subtitle text image AN ADVERTISING I couldn't resist putting this photo here. The girl looks very happy, the ad said "The new System III can be provided with walnut floor cabinet". /media/museum/pubs/cro_bural.jpg 113 url date https://web.archive.org/web/20230608161731/http://www.old-computers.com/museum/computer.asp?c=113 2023-06-08

CROMEMCO was founded in 1974 by two Stanford Students, Roger Melen and Harry Garland, who lived in the CROthers MEMorial Hall dormitory on the Stanford campus.
Eventually CROMEMCO needed space to receive visitors, and moved out of the dorm to Mountain View, and incorporated in 1976. Early products were cards for the S-100 bus, as used by the Altair and IMSAI computers.

These computers were built around the S100 bus. The S100 BUS was a standard (also known under the name IEEE 696) for connection on Zilog Z80 or Intel 8080 processors. A lot of S100 cards were available for the Cromenco systems.

Four Cromenco systems were available :

- System 0: Z80 A + RAM 64 KB + 2 floppy disk drives (390 KB each),
- System I: As system 0 + 1 hard disk (5 MB).
- System III: Z80 CPU, Dual 8" Persci electrically driven floppy drives, 64 KB RAM. It was S-100 bus, Multiuser, used MP/M operating system.

In 1982, Cromemco also introduced the CS-1H system using a dual processor board (Motorola 68000 and Z80) and offering 16 MB of address space.

For the moment, we don't know exactly the specific features for the Systems II and IV.

These systems ran under Cromix (the Cromenco Unix version). They could run under CP/M and CDOS too (CDOS is a CP/M like operating system). Several languages were developped especially for these computers : Fortran IV or a 16 K Z80 Basic wich was given as "one of the fastest and most capable. Full 14-digit precision".

We need more info about this computer ! If you designed, used, or have more info about this system, please send us pictures or anything you might find useful.